Apparatus for handling tobacco



(N0 MOdel.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 1.

R. B. DULA. APPARATUS POP HANDLING TOBACCO.

100.400.001. Patented sept. 22, 1801,l

(No Model.) 2 Sheets-Sheet 2.

R. B. DULA. Y APPARATUS FOR HANDLING TOBACCO.

N0. 460,001. Patented Sept. 22, 1891.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ROBERT B. DULA, OF ST. LOUIS, MISSOURI.

APPARATUS FOR HANDLING TOBACCO.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent N o. 460,001, dated September 22, 1891.

Application iiled August 24, 1889. Serial No. 321,888. (No model.)

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, ROBERT B. DULA, of the city of Si'. Louis, in the State of Missouri, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Apparatuses for Handling Tobacco, of which the following is a full, clear, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying' drawings, forming part of this specification.

Figure I is a side elevation of myimproved device. Fig. IIis a top View. Fig. III is a Vertical longitudinal section taken on line III III, Fig. II. Fig. IV is a section taken on line IV IV, Fig. III.

l represents a vertical hopper into which the tobacco is placed, having a vertical neck G, down which the tobacco falls.

2 represents a carrying apron or belt supported on rollers 3, journaled in a suitable support 4. This apron provides a surface or table onto which the material may be discharged.

5 represents idle-rollers placed beneath the upper part of the apron or belt.

Instead of discharging the material onto the apron, I may provide racks (not shown) for this purpose. Secured at one side of the neck and arranged horizontally beneath the latter is a comb 7, the teeth of which are illustrated in Fig. IV. The free ends of the teeth extend beyond the other side of the neck, leaving a free horizontal passage 'ifL thereover, through which the material is driven. Beneath this comb is a cylinder S, provided with prongs 9. These prongs pass between the teeth of the comb and remove the material from the latter through the free horizontal passage over the free ends of the teeth of the comb, and thus discharge it onto the receiving-surface.

In order to geta uniform deposit of tobacco, and also in order to prevent the -too rapid movement of the tobacco down the neck of the hopper While yet the latter is of sufficient size so that the tobacco will not clog therein, it is necessary to provide some means for giving a substantially continuous liow of tobacco and yet check its too rapid feed. I accomplish this by means of comb-valves l0 and 11, one arranged over the other and adapted to extend across the neck of the hopper. They are moved intermittently-that is, when the valve IO is in its inner position the valve l1 is in its outer posit-ion, and vice versa. The valves are held and guided by slotted brackets l2, and my preferred way of operating them is to connect them by means of links 13 and to connect one of them by means of links 14 to operating-cranks or eccentrics l5 on a driving-shaft IG, having a pulley 17, through which the movement is imparted.

The cylinder S is provided with a drivingpulley 1S. It will thus be seen that when the tobacco is placed in the hopper and the valves and cylinders set in motion there will be a constant regular feed of tobacco and that this feed will be regulated to the desired speed. The hopper terminates at the bottom in an enlargement 20, in which the comb 7 and cylinder Sare located. The enlargement is formed with a rack-opening 2l and an open side 22. Through the latter the tobacco is spread or scattered. p

It is evident that the carrying belt or apron might be dispensed with andthe racks placed beneath the cylinder by other means or by hand. It is also possible that the valves could be dispensed with, though I prefer to use them. Instead of using a broad carrying-apron like that shown, it is evident that narrow chains or belts could be used, one at each side of the machine.

I claim as my inventionm l. The combination of a vertical hopper l, having a vertical neck G, down which the inaterial falls, an enlargement 2O beneath the neck, having an open side 22, the horizontal comb 7, onto which the material falls, located beneath the neck and secured at one side of the latter, having the free ends of its teeth extending beyond the other side of the neck, so as to leave a free horizontal passage 7 the cylinder 8 within the enlargement extending beneath the comb and having prongs 9, working between the teeth of the latter, for driving the material through the free horizontal vpassage and through the open side, and a surface onto which the material is discharged, substantially as described.

2. The combination of the hopper l, having vertical neck 6, down which the tobacco falls, an enlargement 2O beneath the neck, having rack-opening 2l and open side 22, the comb 7, arranged horizontally beneath the neck, onto ICO which the tobacco falls, the cylinder 8 within the enlargement and extending beneath the comb, having prongs 9, working between the teeth of the comb, for throwing the to baceo from the latter throught he open side, and a moving` surface upon which the tobacco is deposited, substantially as described and shown.

The combination of a vertical hopper constructed with a neck and an enlargement at the bottom of the neck, the comb arranged horizontally beneath the neck, the cylinder beneath the comb having prongs Working bctween the teeth of the comb, the comb-valves located in the neck, and means for moving the comb-valves alternately to the `inner position, so that one may be first inserted and 

